Fuel control mechanism in liquefied gas fuelede lighter



Sept. 3, 1968 MAsARU KolzuMl FUEL CONTROL MECHANISM IN LIQUEFIED GAS FUELED LIGHTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March l, 1966 -..wir m a m ,m b ,f Mmmf y Hymn AW b mm www l Ic-f IBGL 37 MASARU KOIZUMI Sept. 3, 1968 MASARU KolzuMl FUEL CONTROL MECHANISM IN LIQUEFIED GAS FUELED LIGHTER 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed March l, 1966 mvENToR MASARU KOIZUMI United States Patent O 3,399,951 FUEL CONTROL MECHANISM IN LIQUEFIED GAS FUELED LIGHTER Masaru Koizumi, Tokyo, Japan, assignor to Mansei Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitamaken, Japan Filed Mar. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 530,963 Claims priority, application Japan, Mar. 5, 1965, 40/ 17,394 3 Claims. (Cl. 431-344) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A liquefied gas fueled lighter having a porous mass intermediate the yfuel supply and the control valve located in an adjustable pressure member wherein said lpressure member is provided with a ring fiange adjacent said mass to define an evaporation chamber and further comprising a pair of perforated, flexible, non-liquid absorbing sheets disposed on opposite sides of said porous mass in contact therewith.

This invention relates to improvements in and relating to a fuel outlet control mechanism in liquefied gas fueled lighters, more specifically cigarette lighters.

With conventional burner nozzle valve assemblies in liquefied gas fueled cigarette lighters provided for controlling the outlet flow of gasified fuel from the burner nozzle, one or more adjusting members are provided and kept in threaded engagement with a stationary part or parts of the assembly. When it is desired to control the outlet flow rate of the gasified fuel, the adjusting member or members can be turned from above or below or both, so as to turningly advance or recede the adjusting means for regulating the degree of compression beforehand given to a compressible control member such as a mass of soft, porous and liquid-absorbing substance, for instance fibrous material, foam resin or rubber. Such a controllable mass is conventionally squeezed between a pair of rigid parts, one or both of which may be arranged to be movable so as to regulate the degree of compression of the mass for the purpose of intentionally controlling the outlet ow of gasified fuel by decreasing or increasing the degree of evaporation of liquid fuel contained in the mass and issuing therefrom. The gasified fuel is generally passed through a ne closable passage opening bored through one of the squeezing rigid parts, and fed through a closable valve means in fiuid communication with the gas fuel passage bored longitudinally through the burner nozzle.

4Experience has shown however that the use of such conventional gasified fuel outlet control mechanisms is very far lfrom the ideal operating condition desired, which is mainly attributable to the limited evaporating surface provided therein. With conventional mechanisms above referred to, explosive ignition has frequently been encountered in use of the gas lighter when a larger evaporating surface is employed. On the contrary, when the area of the evaporating surface is reduced so as to obviate the above-mentioned drawback, interruptions of the ignited flame may generally be invited. Instability of the fiame may also be encountered, especially when the ambient atmospheric temperature and/or pressure are varied.

It is therefore the main object of the invention to provide a highly improved gasified fuel outlet control mechanism embodied in a liquefied `gas fueled lighter, capable of storing the liquefied gas Ifuel in advance of the desired gasification, the evaporating or gasifying the stored liquid fuel and the controlling delivery of the gasified fuel to a burner nozzle, all -at a certain pre- 3,399,951 Patented Sept. 3, 1968 determined place in the burner nozzle valve assembly of the vlighter which is fitted with the control mechanism.

Another object is to provide a control mechanism of the kind above referred to, capable of providing a broader evaporating area than in the case of a comparative conventional burner nozzle assembly, by utilizing for this purpose substantially all of a surface area of the liquid absorbing mass designed for the necessary preparatory absorption of the liquid fuel in advance of gasification thereof.

Still another object is to provide a control mechanism of the kind above referred to, capable of providing a mass designed for the evaporating purpose which absorbs the liquefied gas fuel evenly throughout the whole of the mass.

In the conventional gas lighter, a mass or strip, porous or fibrous and liquid-absorbing and designed for evaporating the absorbed liquid fuel, is kept under compression directly between rigid parts to a variable and controllable degree for assuring an optimum gas delivery to meet occasional demands. Such an arrangement as this, however, may frequently -give rise to faster damage of the absorbing material, resulting in a short useful life of the gas lighter.

Still further, an object of the present invention is therefore to provide a control mechanism of the aforementioned kind, capable of obviating the last mentioned conventional drawback and providing a unified and constant delivery of evaporated gaseous fuel.

Still a further object is to provide a control mechanism of the above kind, capable of providing a considerable volume of gas space in advance of the closable valve opening, with substantially no fear of disadvantageous explosive ignition of the gasified Ifuel, especially at the initiation -of ignition.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a burner valve -assembly as applied to a liquefied gas fuel reservoir of a gas lighter, embodying new and novel teachings of a yfuel outlet adjusting mechanism according to this invention, wherein however said reservoir is illustrated only partially;

FIG. 2 is a similar view to FIG. 1, illustrative of a somewhat modified arrange-ment from that shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of several essential parts of a still further modified arrangement, only partially shown.

Referring now to the drawings, especially FIG. 1 thereof, numeral 1t) denotes a pressure vessel, made of either steel, bronze or the like tough and rigid metal, or Bakelite, polyacryl, polyvinyl chlorideor similar tough and strong synthetic resin material, of a liquefied Igas fueled lighter, containing a body of liquefied gas such as propane, methane or the like, the free liquid surface of which is shown at L. Although not shown, the vessel 10 is provided with a fuel charge valve of known design, so as to introduce the fuel into the vessel from a commercially available liquefied fuel gas cylinder through the valve.

Numeral 11 denotes a valve body xedly attached to the vessel 10 such as by brazing, striking or the like conventional means and preferably shaped in a hollow cylinder having both ends open, as shown, which project through the upper and lower walls 10a and 10b of the pressure vessel.

The valve body 11 is formed with an upper and lower mounting flange as at 11a and 11b, respectively, kept in abutting engagement with tank walls a and 10b.

Numeral 12 denotes a manipulating knob formed on the peripheral surface with indentations for assuring a better grip, and kept in meshing relation with main adjusting cylinder 13 at spline connection 32. The peripheral surface of the adjusting cylinder is formed with male screw threads 13a meshing with female screw threads 11e` on an upper and enlarged bore surface of the valve body 11.

A hollow pressure member 15 is slidably mounted in an intermediate bore 11d of the valve body and formed with a peripheral groove 15a for receiving therein a sealing O-ring 23 which serves for establishing an effective mechanical seal between pressure member 15 and valve body 11. Circular flange 15b defining the lower limit of groove 15a abuts the upper end of a coil spring 14, while the opposite or lower end of the latter abuts against an intermediate shoulder 11e which defines the lowest limit of the intermediate bore 11d. Pressure member 15 is therefore subjected to a resilient and upwardly directing urging force provided by the coil spring 14, and kept in pressure engagement with the lowermost end of adjusting cylinder 13. The pressure member 15 is formed at its lower center with a gas passage or valve opening at 24 which is normally sealed off by means of a resilient valve member or plug 26 which is made from, for instance, soft and synthetic rubber and tightly received in the lower and enlarged portion 27a of the bore of a burner nozzle member 27. Slightly above the upper end of this rubber plug 26, there are provided lateral passages 27e and 27b for gasified fuel.

Numerals 17 and 18 represent fine mesh wire gauzes, perforated sheets or similar flexible and perforated evaporator sheets, each having a small thickness such as 0.01- 0.1 mm. and a large number of passing openings formed therethrough so as to provide, in total, a flattened evaporating chamber having a wide coverage over the whole area of the sheet. This sheet is compressible when subjected to a pressure exerted thereupon, yet not collapseable while in its normal usage in the valve assembly as later to be described. As shown a mass of liquid absorbing porous or fibrous soft and resilient material such as porous rubber, resin sponge, leather, cloth or fibers, as at is sandwiched between said evaporator sheets 17 and 18. The evaporator sheets are of non-liquid absorbing nature and the upper sheet 17 is either loosely or firmly positioned in a circular space which is defined by a ring flange 19 which is formed on the lowest end of pressure member 15 and kept in direct contact with the porous mass 20 for defining positively an evaporating chamber. Seat plate 21 is kept in pressure contact with the lower sheet 18 over substantially its whole area, which sheet serves, in practice, rather as a liquid distributor for distributing the liquid fuel supplied from below and through a central passage opening 22 formed in the seat plate. The lower sheet 18 acts naturally as an evaporating medium to a certain degree. The seat plate 21 is generally made from a metal, yet may be moulded as an alternative measure with synthetic resin.

There is provided an auxiliary adjusting member which is formed on its peripheral surface with male screw threads 30a meshing with lower female threads 11]U fonmed at the lower part of the central bore passing through the valve body 11. At the lowermost end of member 30, there is formed a groove 30b for the reception of a screw driver. Therefore, a possibility is provided for adjusting the degree of pressure exerted on the fuel evaporator assembly comprising several parts 17-18-20, in an auxiliary manner from below, as will be later described more in detail. Adjusting member 30 is formed at its lower portion with a ring recess 30e in which an O-ring 33 is received for establishing a tight seal between the inside bore wall of valve body 11 and the member 30,

and thus for preventing the liquid fuel inside of vessel 10 from seeping toward the outside of the gas lighter.

The valve body 11 is formed at its lower portion with a pair of lateral passage openings 11f and 11g bored through the cylindrical wall of the body 11 and substantially in plane containing a pair of lateral passages 3011 and 30e` bored through the cylindrical wall of auxiliary adjusting member 30, said passages being kept in fluid communication with a vertical blind bore 30d which is filled with a liquid absorbing filler material such as synthetic resin sponge, rubber sponge, fibrous mass or the like at 31.

Burner nozzle 27 is formed as shown in the shape of an elongated hollow cylinder having a vertical bore as already referred to, which is kept in fluid communication with lateral passage openings 27b and 27C. A pair of separated ring flanges 27f and 27e are formed on the outside peripheral surface of the nozzle 27 for defining a peripheral groove 34 in which a resilient O-ring 35 is received so as to establish a fluid seal between the nozzle and the main adjusting member 13. Between ring flange 27j and an inner flange 13a on the member 13, there is formed a spring chamber 36 between the nozzle and the adjusting member 13, so as to contain a compression spring 37, the upper end of which abuts against the inner flange 13a through the intermediary of sealing ring 38 and metal washer 39, for establishing an effective seal in this region.

Thus, the burner nozzle 27 is resiliently urged by spring 37 in the downward direction so as to nonmally bias the plug valve member 26 into sealing engagement with a cone seat surface 40 formed in the pressure mem.- ber 15 and defining valve opening 24, for sealingly closing the latter.

Although only a cross-section is shown, 28 denotes an elongated operating lever having a forked end as shown, for establishing a mechanical coupling connection with an upper part of the burner nozzle 27. This operating lever is arranged to be push-button controlled, or operated by a conventional openable and pivoted cap. When the push button is depressed, or the cap is opened manually by the user of the gas lighter from outside the latter, the forked end of the lever 28 is raised upwardly when seen in FIG. l so as to elevate the burner nozzle 27 with the plug valve 26, for bringing the opening 24 into opened condition.

The operation of the aforementioned burner nozzle assembly is as follows:

In the condition of the assembly shown, liquid fuel is led to flow from the interior of vessel 10 through lateral passage openings llf and 11g7 and lateral passages 30b and 30C to the absorbing mass 31, until the latter has been saturated with the liquid.

Since the gas lighteris generally subjected to movements in the space while it is carried along by the user, a part of the liquefied fuel contained in the absorbing mass 31 is conveyed therefrom through central opening 22 and lower sheet '18 to the absorbing material 20. If the sheet 18 should not be provided an even distribution of the liquefied fuel throughout the mass of porous and absorbing material 20 could be prevented and the concentration of the absorbed fuel would be the maximum in close proximity of an imaginary line connecting the axes of both passage openings 22 and 24, and become lesser as more distant from the line. In the present assembly, however, thanks to the provision of the lower sheet 18, the liquid fuel can be evenly distributed throughout the whole mass of the absorbing material 20.

When the user desires to ignite the gas lighter, he depresses a pushbutton by his finger pressure or manually opens a cap normally closed. Motion is transmitted to the operating lever 28 to shift its forked end shown in FIG. 1 in the upward direction hinted by arrow 29, so that the burner nozzle 27 is elevated against the urging action of spring 37 while keeping an effective seal between the nozzle 27 and the main adjusting member 13.

The resilient plug valve 26 isfaccompanied by this upward movementA of the nozzle 27 lso that the gas'outlet opening 24 is completely opened and kept in communication with the outside atmosphere through the intermediary of a cone space defined by vseat surface 40, a narrow cylindrical gap 41 formed between the lower part of knozzle 27 and the cylindrical bore formed in the pressure member 15, lateral passage openings 2712 and 27C, andthe longitudinal bore of the nozzle, thereby venting the evaporating chamber formed on the upper surface of the porous and liquid-absorbing mass 20, defined by the inside peripheral surface of ring ange 19, and housing the evaporator sheet 17. Since the porous material 20 is kept beforehand in its compressed state to a certain degree, the upper surface thereof defined by the inside periphery of the ring flange 19 is now exposedthrough a large number of passage openings in the sheet 17 to a comparatively reduced pressure, and thus the liquid fuel contained in the mass 20 will evaporate. The thus gasied fuel is led through the aforementioned gas passage including gap 41 and thezlongitudinal'bore of nozzle 27 to the outlet opening thereof at 27d. Although not shown, there is .provided an igniting means, such as heatable electric wire; spark plug or the like, conventionally located in the neighborhood of the outlet opening 27d, so as to be energized simultaneously with the depression of the aforementioned pushbutton or with the opening of the cap of the gas lighter. Therefore, the gas stream now issuing from the outlet opening 27d is ignited to generate a ame. With the liquid fuel contained in the mass 20 gradually consumed in this way, fresh liquid fuel will be supplied from the absorbing mass 3.1 through passage opening 22 and finely perforated lower sheett18 to the mass 20. In this case, a partial evaporation of the thus supplied liquid fuel as well as an even distribution of the liquid onto the lower surface of the mass 20 will take place through the intermediary `of the lower perforated sheet 18. Simultaneously, a quantity of liquid fuel will be supplied from the interior of pressure vessel through lateral passage openings 11f-11g and 30b-30c to the lower part of the absorbing mass 31 and then distributed throughout the latter by capillary action.

Since, in this case, the gas outlet opening 24 is completely opened, an explosive ignition of the gasified fuel may be feared to take place, through a sudden issuance of a large volume of the gaseous fuel through the opening 24, and thus, from the 4gas out-let opening 27d, especially at the commencement of the combustion of the fuel.

As will be easily understood from the foregoing, however, when the pressure member is kept at its ring iiange 19 in pressure contact with the porous and absorbing mass 20, outer idle spaces such asthat containing the return spring 14, and a ring gap 48 formed between valve body 11 and `pressure member 15, are kept from fluid communication with the aforementioned evaporating chamber leading to the gas outlet opening 24. As commonly known, gaseous or liquefied fuel is liable to accumulatie in these idle spaces and will frequently cause an explosive ignition to take place in conventional gas lighters. With use of the control mechanism according to this invention, such a disadvantageous phenomenon can be effectively prevented in the aforementioned way.

When itis desired to alter the gas delivery rate, the knob 12 is intentionally turned in one or another direction, so as to rotate the main adjusting member 13 correspondingly, thereby the latter being either lowered or elevated in its position through the intermediary of screw connection 11e-13a.. f

When the adjusting member 13 is th'readedly lowered against spring action at 37 in the above-mentioned way, urging pressure is transmitted therefrom directly to the pressure -member 15 against the spring action at 14, thereby the pressure exerted through evaporator sheet 17 upon porous and absorbing mass 20 being intensified correspondingly, and the degree of evaporation of liquefied fuel will be reduced. When the Iknob 12 is turned in the opposite direction the pressure exerted upon the mass 20 is lessened so that the rate of delivery of gaseous fuel from the outlet opening 27d may be increased correspondingly. In these cases, the provision of both perforated sheets or gauzes 17-18 serves for distributing the compressive pressure over the whole areas of both upper and lower surfaces of the compressible and porous mass 20,' while assuring an indirect'application of the compressive force, thereby increasing the practical durable life of the mass which is the most important and vital constituent for converting the liquid state into the gaseous state of the fuel of the gas lighter, in spite of highly frequent adjustment of the compression as may be en countered in the practical use of gas lighters. f

Additionally, the provision of-the perforated sheets or gauzes at 17 and 18, serves for effectively preventing-a squeezing-out of the mass 20, even when it is subjected to a stronger compression, by providing a considerable resistance against possible stoppage between each of the sheets of gauzes 17-18y and the porous and absorbin mass 20.

When the ambient temperature should vary considerably, or when the reserved liquefied fuel in the pressure vessel should be consumed almost to nil, there may arise the need to vary the compressive force applied to the mass 20 toa substantial degree. In such a case a convenient tool such as screw driver or coin is applied to the lateral groove at 3tlb so as to turn the auxiilary adjusting member 30 in one direction or another. In the same manner as the case of main adjusting member 13, the auxiliary member 30 is advanced upwardly or receded downwardly through the intermediary of the screw connection 11f30a. In this way, the compression applied through the intermediary of perforated seat plate 21 as well as the lower perforated sheet or gauze 18 onto the mass 20 from below can be adjusted as desired. It should be noted, however, that provision of this auxiliary adjusting means may, if necessary, be dispensed with, as will appear in FIG. 2.

Main difference in the design of a modified mechanism shown in FIG. 2 from that shown in FIG. 1 resides substantially in such a point that the foregoing valve body ,11 has been split into two constituents 111 and 112 screwed together at for easy fabrication, while the foregoing main adjusting member 13 and pressure member 15 have been united into one piece 113 so as to attain an easy assembly of the lrelated parts. Other parts have similar reference numerals :as before, yet each is provided with a prime for identification so that the design and function of the present modification could be easily understood from the foregoing description. It is however to be noted that in the present case absorbing mass 31 is partially dipped in the body of the contained liquefied fuel in pressure vessel 10 for establishing a direct fiuid contact with the fresh fuel.

In a still further modified arrangement shown in FIG. 3, the foregoing lower sheet 18 has been dispensed with, .and instead thereof, a smaller mass 114 of porous and absorbing nature as was referred to hereinbefore and a squeezing cylinder 115 made of soft synthetic resin such as polyvinyl chloride or the like, or synthetic rubber such as Buna, have been employed. This 'combination is provided in a part of the liquid passage extending from the interior of the pressure vessel to the main porous and absorbing mass 20", more specifically between the latter and the liquid passage opening at 22". This combination will serve to control the rate of liquid ow passing therethrough in a varying manner when subjected to a variably adjusted compressive force acting from above as was the case in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

In the foregoing the invention has been described in reference to several preferred, specific and illustrative devices. As will be understood, various changes may be made in the form of details, larrangement and proportion of the parts, etc., without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in pended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A fuel delivery rate control mechanism in a liquefied gas fueled lighter preferably a cigarette lighter having a pressure vessel having a reservoir adapted to contain liquefied fuel, said mechanism comprising a stationary valve body rigidly attached to said vessel, a first mass of nely porous, pliable, compressible liquid absorbing material positioned within said body, means for adjustably compressing said material and maintaining a fluid connection between the interior of said reservoir and said material, -a pressure member disposed in pressure contact withone surface of said mass and formed with a valve opening facing said surface of said mass, a burner nozzle and valve member assembly shiftable within said valve body for on-off control of said valve opening and for leading the gasified fuel, through said valve opening and said nozzle to 'utside of said gas lighter, the combination of a cylindrical flange formed on Athe inner end of said pressure member and kept in pressure contact with a peripheral zone on said mass thereby forming an evaporating space defined by `the inside periphery of said cylindrical flange and formed on said 'surface of said mass facing, toward said valve opening and a-first perforated, compressive, pliable yet non-'liquid absorbing sheet contained within said evaporatirig space for'providing a wide the apevaporating surface zone extending over a substantial part of said mass surface.

2. A fuel delivery rate control mechanism as defined in claim 1 further comprising a second perforated compressible, pliable yet non-liquid :absorbing sheet disposed onthe opposite surface .of said mass from said first sheet for evenly distributing the liquefied gas from said reservoir over substantially the whole of said opposite sur,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,046,066 6/1936 Florman. 2,836,044 5/ 1958 Zellweger. 3,118,295 1/ 1964 Van Poppel.

EDWARD I. MICHAEL, Primary Examiner. 

